Tuesday, November 5, 2013

John 2:1-11 Part III, Bridegroom to the believers

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Hi everyone, this is the conclusion to our series on this passage. Let's dig in!

We jumped forward once before to chapter three of John's gospel, where we found these words from John the Baptist:

“The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.”John 3:29-30

These are the final words we hear from John the Baptist about Jesus . . . he says that He is the bridegroom who has the bride. At that time, it was a growing band of followers and His disciples . . .now it is many, many followers. And the first miracle that Jesus does, is to take over and finish what the bridegroom at this local wedding could not do.

We learn in verses nine and ten that the groom was the person ultimately responsible for the wine at his wedding. So, it logically follows that it would be his "bad" if the wedding festivities ran out of wine! Let's look at the verses:
"When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from, the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.’”
OK. He really didn't.

He let the wine run out! That's the way it is with grooms here on earth. All husbands (and all wives, for that matter) fail to be all that we should be. But Jesus steps in and gives this groom a helping hand; He plays the role of the perfect, providing Bridegroom. Out of the water comes wine -- unexpected, miraculous, and far better than any they'd tasted before!

So the third way that Jesus manifested His glory at this wedding was that He revealed Himself to be the all-providing Bridegroom for his bride: the great throng of all those who put their trust in Him.

Let's put our shovels aside, and review:
We've had three revelations of Jesus' glory in these verses . . .
As the obedient Son of the Father, He is not influenced by family ties -- not Mary's, and not ours. He is persuaded by our trusting in His grace.
As our purifier, He does not ask that we follow rituals. He replaced all of the Old Testament rituals with His own blood. There is now just one way to be pure before God -- wash your robes in the blood of the Lamb.
As the Bridegroom for all believers, He never EVER fails to give us what we need. The wine He provides never runs out. The blood of Christ, able to save sinners, never stops flowing.

"Come now, let us settle the matter," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."  Isaiah 1:18


“Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready.” Revelation 19:7

Have you made yourself ready? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

4 comments:

  1. Yes, I am. The awe I feel knowing what He did is new every day!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yep, I am, and so grateful for it. I can't imagine living without that assurance, that He chose me in all my sin and shame, totally undeserving, and gave me His righteousness.

    ReplyDelete
  3. There are no words to describe the thankfulness I feel for His saving grace. I am so blessed to know that no matter what state my heart may be in, Jesus holds it anyway!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am so glad that Jesus steps in to help when I mess up.

    ReplyDelete

We welcome comments pertaining to our study; rude comments will be deleted, as will links for advertising purposes.